Selected Poems of Lawrence Durrell

by Lawrence Durrell, Alan Ross

Peter Porter has drawn on the full range of the published work, from "A Private Country" (1943) to "Vega" (1973), and has provided a long overdue revaluation of Durrell's poetic career. In his detailed introduction, Porter makes the case for "A Private Country" as one of the most accomplished debut collections of the twentieth century, and traces Durrell's preoccupations and poetic personality within the wider scene. The selection of poems makes its own strong case for the continuing power of this attractive, and wholly individual body of work.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Lawrence George Durrell was a critically hailed and beloved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer best known for The Alexandria Quartet novels, which were ranked by the Modern Library as among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century. A passionate and dedicated writer from an early age, Durrell’s prolific career also included the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and whose third novel, Constance (1982), was nominated for the Booker Prize. He also penned the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. Durrell corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller influenced much of his early work, including a provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell died in France in 1990.

The time Lawrence spent with his family, mother Louisa, siblings Leslie, Margaret Durrell, and Gerald Durrell, on the island of Corfu were the subject of Gerald's memoirs and have been filmed numerous times for TV.

Reviews

[Aitana Monzón]

"Now when the sea grows restless as a conscript,
Excited by fresh wind, climbs the sea-wall,
I walk by it and think about you all"

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although typically I avoid selections of poetry (preferring to make my own selections from the complete works of a poet), Peter Porter has done a good job of selecting these examples and makes a good case in his introduction for the selections he has chosen. Durrell, better known for his works of fiction (e.g., the outstanding series of novels comprising The Alexandria Quartet) and place-based creative nonfiction (e.g., Prospero's Cell: A Guide to the Landscape and Manners of the Island of Corcyra (Corfu)), was a fine poet. Some of his best remind me of Roethke's danceable rhythms, and his command of the language is superlative. One can see his love of poetic language even in his first serious literary work (The Black Book). Despite his predilection for neologisms, foreign phrases, and English archaisms and his occasional flirtations with surrealism, the poems in this volume are generally accessible to those with no previous knowledge of his writings, although there are both direct and indirect references to his other works. I found the poetry in this volume both enjoyable and informative in my continual quest to understand the fascinating mind of Lawrence Durrell.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this volume contains some amazing lines and imagery, and sparked my own creative impulses, it did not speak to me strongly as a whole. For such a slender volume, I have an inordinate amount of post-its sticking out marking passages or lines. Nevertheless, for me, I stand by two stars. However, do let my personal preferences stop anyone from exploring the words and ideas contained herein. Make your own decision about Durrell. He choose these poems himself. He wants to speak to you.

A note on the book itself. It has no ISBN, but a Library of Congress Catalog Card Number identifies this edition even though the book says published in 1956 and the LOC says 1957. The LOC says there's an editor whereas this version says that Durrell choose the poems himself and he writes the introduction; no editor. My book also says that there are two editions, "An Evergreen Book of Poetry (E-57)" and a "hard bound, numbered, Limited Edition of 100 copies". Also the page counts differ. Curious.

[Inés De Hueso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Llegar a este libro ha sido una sorpresa absoluta. En la poesía siempre me pasa que me siento perdida, creo que cuántas más referencias compartidas con el autor más se puede entender (no es mi caso).
Están escritos maravillosamente estos poemas, su forma de usar los párpados y ojos como metáforas....fantasía. algunos poemas me han gustado mucho, otros me han dejado un poco ??? Pero bueno, desde luego confirma lo que ya sabía, que era un grandísimo escritor, muy muy mediterráneo y fan del mundo clásico. Amoroso y fogoso.
No sé si volvería a leer poemas de Lawrence Durrell, quizá si se me volvieran a cruzar en medio diría venga...

[Bart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like his novels though with fewer threads.

[Fozz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the one about the rubber penis

[Sparrow .]

Durrell is almost his own branch of literature. Nobody writes exactly like him, with his languid, mystic, sensual, Turkish delicacy. (Not even avant-garde Turkish poets, judging from "Eda: An Anthology of Contemporary Turkish Poetry.") Was he born in the wrong era? Durrell does seem more 18th century than 20th, but that's not it. He just had a very particular way of seeing God. It's not even eccentricity. Maybe it's prophecy?

Opening at random:

Easy to be patient in the summer,
The light running like fishes among the leaves,
Easy in August with its cones of blue
Sky uninvaded from the north; but winter
With its bareness pared his words to points
Like stars, leaving them pure but very few.

[From "On First Looking into Loeb's Horace"] (Notice the erratic rhyme scheme?)

[Gareth Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am, in truth, more a Gerald Durrell fan but there is no doubting Lawrence’s literary powers. these poems often defy my interpretation but there are enough moments of connection to make me glad I read beyond the Alexandria Quartet.
Phrases summon or remind. Subjects intrigue and provoke thought. A mixed bag of poems that illustrate a towering command of language, a subtle mine, telling observation and a wish to move beyond the expected.